Few things are more important to Montanans than a secret fishing hole, a special hunting spot or favorite hiking trail. The state’s natural resources and wildlife are held in high esteem by Montana’s inhabitants; they are, arguably, Big Sky Country’s greatest assets. However in recent months, the threat to these sacred places has become all too real.
The idea of ‘public land transfer’ or moving federally owned public lands over to the individual state governments to manage is an idea that has been brought up for over a century. One of the earliest movements in support of public land transfer began in the early 1900s when the federal government began to set aside land in the form of national parks. This movement was known as the Sagebrush Rebellion. Seventy years later, as the Environmental Movement helped to pushed Congress to develop and pass The Endangered Species Act, National Environmental Policy Act, Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act, new support for the Sagebrush Rebellion ideals surfaced. President Ronald Reagan even declared himself a Sagebrush Rebel[1].
In recent years the idea’s supporters primarily believe that the transfer will allow more exploitation of the state’s natural resources and more local control. Meanwhile, those against the public land transfer fear that state will not have the funds to properly manage the land which will lead to little upkeep and, eventually, the large-scale sell-off of these lands into the hands of the rich and private. Those opposed to the transfer have much to be concerned about. Today, throughout the United States, there are around 600 million acres of federally owned public land[2]. In Montana alone 26,921,861 acres are federally owned and thus belong to all Americans. That is approximately 28.9% of the states total area[3]. The fact of the matter is that the state does not have the personnel, the fiscal resources or the time to effectively manage nearly 30% of Montana. With so much at stake we cannot afford to allow the transfer to go through.
This realization is one many Montanans understand. State Representative Ryan Zinke, a republican and the President Elect Donald J. Trump’s pick for the Department of Interior has time and again went against his party’s lines on the transfer of public lands issue. Even stating on his own official website “I will not tolerate selling our public lands[4].” However in a recent vote by the House, Ryan Zinke was one of 233 Representatives who voted to approve a document which will change how congress evaluates public lands. Much of the proposal was written by none other than House Natural Resources Committee Chairman, Representative Rob Bishop, a republican out of Utah and one of the most outspoken advocates of the federal land transfer. These rule changes will undoubtedly make it easier to transfer public lands to states/private hands. Senators Jon Tester and Steve Daines made statements following the release of Zinke’s vote stating, “this vote by the House is an underhanded assault on Montana’s outdoor economy, ourhunting heritage, and our way of life. Public lands belong to all Americans and Congress should be safeguarding them, not clearing the way to auction them off to the highest bidder” and “I continue to strongly oppose the transfer of federal lands to the states while fighting to improve the management of those lands” respectively[5]. In one fowl swoop Ryan Zinke has jeopardized much of what Montanans and other of our nations citizens hold dear.
If you enjoy any form of outdoor recreation, if you value Montana jobs, if you are in love with the idea that you do not have to be rich and powerful to own a piece of our amazing country then you ought to be opposed the idea of selling OUR public lands and support the continuance of researching new methods to improve their management. In the words of Theodore Roosevelt, “Here is your country. Cherish these natural wonders, cherish the natural resources, cherish the history and romance as a sacred heritage, for your children and your children’s children. Do not let selfish men or greedy interests skin your country of its beauty, its riches or its romance.”
You can contact Congressman Ryan Zinke and tell him your opinion of the public land transfer by calling his Billings office at (406)-969-1736 or emailing him through his official website https://zinke.house.gov/contact . You can also sign the petition by one of the lead anti-transfer groups, ‘Protect Your Public Lands’ by going to their website homepage http://www.protectyourlands.org/.
[1] http://www.hcn.org/articles/sagebrush-rebellion
[2] http://www.protectyourlands.org
[3] http://www.deseretnews.com/top/2318/0/From-03-to-8...
[4] https://zinke.house.gov/issues/public-lands
[5] http://mtstandard.com/new
